Georgia

Madinah Village (Commerce) and Aliville (Odum)

Fuqra/MOA is believed to be responsible for shooting a doctor to death in front of Humana Hospital on September 17, 1988.[1]

A December 2010 FBI counter-terrorism report said that “the Muslims of the Americas terrorist organization” has at least one “jamaat” (private commune) in Georgia.

The documents confirmed that MOA is an alternative name for Jamaat ul-Fuqra and described the group as “armed and dangerous,” urging personnel to “use extreme caution when dealing with confirmed members or individuals who are believed to be associated with this group.”

A MOA newspaper identified the commune near Commerce, G.A. as “Madinah Village” with a street named Mecca Circle.[2] An online directory of MOA “Dawah Centers” that has proven accurate in the past identifies one such center in Commerce named the Islamic Arts and Education Center.[3] Two entities named Masjid Jamia and Muhammadia are linked to this compound.

A 2004 report funded by the Justice Department identifies Commerce as having a “training compound” for MOA.[4] A 2006 report for law enforcement also said that Commerce is home to one of at least seven “covert paramilitary training compounds.”[5]

A 2004 report funded by the Justice Department identifies Macon as having a “training compound” for MOA.[7] A 2006 report for law enforcement also said that Macon is home to one of at least seven “covert paramilitary training compounds.”[8] It is probable that these reports are referencing one or both of the above camps, as it is common for such reports to list a broader location that is actually a significant distance from the specific site.

Drug Trafficking

In November 2003, a MOA member was arrested in Philadelphia as he transported 52 kilos of cocaine from Oakland, California (where MOA has a village) to Atlanta and Philadelphia. He was released in March 2004 because of a processing error and rearrested in York, South Carolina (the location of “Islamville”) in November 2004.[9]

A 2005 Drug Enforcement Administration investigation into Fuqra/MOA-linked drug trafficking in Binghamton, N.Y. found evidence of a link to the Odum compound. A suspect possessed a receipt for VHS tapes and CD-Rs purchased by a computer company based at the compound. The items were delivered to an address affiliated with the suspect’s company in Binghamton.[10]

Shooting Incident

Sheikh Gilani addressed the shooting of a member of the Georgia village administrator going by the name of Amir Salahuddin by another MOA member. Gilani says that he issued orders for the camps to remove anyone with criminal records from the premises, resulting in a member named Abu Baha being told to leave. Baha then shot Amir Salahuddin in his sleep. Gilani says Baha committed the shooting on the orders of his “bosses,” without defining who these bosses are. Based on our understanding of MOA’s ideology, we know this to be implying that Baha was a secret agent of the Satanic-Zionist conspiracy against Islam and Gilani.

Gilani claims that the bullet didn’t penetrate Amir Salahuddin’s skull because of Gilani’s special prayer that protects them from gunfire. Salahuddin then went to Pakistan fearing another assassination plot. Gilani did not explain why Salahuddin had fear if this special prayer makes him bulletproof.

Other Activity

Law enforcement sources say that MOA members in Virginia have cashed bogus checks provided by people who visit from the Commerce compound. They have also said that members from the compound have communicated with people on terrorism watch lists. One source said that “Madinah Village” has a guard shack at the entrance and has used guard dogs to prevent intrusions. The source said MOA members in Georgia tried to obtain uniform patches that read, “Madinah Village Police” and were upset when they could not use the word “police.” The members settled for the word “security” instead of police.

Unconfirmed Reports of Linkage to Beltway Snipers

In 2002, a law enforcement official said he was told by the FBI that the two “Beltway Snipers” were linked to a MOA commune in Georgia. No information substantiating this claim has surfaced since then.[11]

[4] Kane, John and April Wall. “Identifying the Links Between White-Collar Crime and Terrorism,” National White Collar Crime Center, September 2004. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/209520.pdf

[7] Kane, John and April Wall. “Identifying the Links Between White-Collar Crime and Terrorism,” National White Collar Crime Center, September 2004. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/209520.pdf